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Castle Q&A: Antonio Sabato Jr. Warns of Scary Fun and Funky Hair

Castle giving fans will enjoy a blast from the past on Monday when a former sitcom star meets an untimely demise in "Need to Know," as guest star Antonio Sabato Jr. gets his turn to relieve the era of big hair and funky pants.

The veteran took the time to chat with us about working with the boys on Castle, where you'll find his Batman tattoo and his thoughts on Ben Affleck's upcoming role as The Dark Knight.

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Tell us a little about your role on this upcoming episode.Oh yeah. It's been fun working on the show. I mean the crew, the cast, everybody has been awesome. I have the chance to play a role by the name of Ramon Russo. He used to work on a sitcom back in the day. I can't really reveal what's happening but a lot of things are happening with the main cast and myself and what happening in my past.

Had you watched Castle before you took on the role?I had not. I'd heard about it. Everybody talks about the show, constantly but I'd never watched it. I knew Nathan Fillion and he's just an awesome guy. It was cool to work with him finally. But I will now.

Where did you know Nathan Fillion from?Just from people we know within the industry and people that he's worked with and I've worked with and we all know each other. It just so happened that we finally got the chance to work together after a long time. We just knew a lot of people in common.

We understand that this episode is sort of the show's take on the '90s teen sitcom Saved By the Bell. Had you ever watched that show?No, I didn't watch the show, especially when the show came out. I was kind of moving to this country so it was new to me but I'd heard about it. I know all of the people who came from it. They're friends of mine, Mario Lopez and those guys. So this is a little bit based on those characters. It's really a lot of fun and we had the chance to put on some of those clothes that we use to wear back in the day.

Which actors did you work with the most and what was your experience on the show like?I would say Nathan, and Jon Huertas and Seamus Dever. Those were the main ones. I got to spend time with Stana as well but I didn't get the chance to work with her on this episode.

You've worked on so many shows over the years. Have you had a favorite role or experience?I guess they're all special. You know in this industry it's amazing because every time you work on something you get the chance to meet new people or make new friends. The situation, the environment, the time is all different. So they're all special. Special in my life and special being with new people and on a new set. I mean Castle was special in it's own way. They're all different. That's why we keep doing all kinds of stuff as actors because every new thing is something altogether. I have lots of respect for what I do and over the years, everything has been, from soap operas to nighttime television and the movies I have made, they've all been special. All of them.

I saw a piece of trivia about you. Do you really have a Batman tattoo?Yeah I do. Absolutely, It's on my lower back. It hurt like hell but it's been there for quite some time. For many years.

Then I have to ask what do you think of Ben Affleck playing the next Dark Knight?I think it's great. Listen, the studio knows what their doing. Ben Affleck is a great guy. He's a talented actor as well as a talented director. I think it's great. I like entertainment. I love Batman. I love all the movies. I love anything actually related to the bat, so I'm excited and I can't wait to see the movie. And with the Justice League, Superman and the rest of the superheroes and obviously I think it's going to be great. I wish I could play something like that but Ben is going to do justice in the Justice League.

If you could chose any show currently on TV, which one would you want to be a part of. Which show would be your dream job right now?There's so many. I would love to be part of something like 24 or Lost. Those shows were so different and unique that I enjoyed watching them. I guess Castle would be one of them since I just recently finished doing it and I love how they work the premises and how they shoot the whole show by not showing what's really happening, through the eyes of Nathan. I like new ventures and new things so, I guess something like 24 even though it's not on the air anymore or Breaking Bad. A show like that.

Anything else you can tease us about this Monday's new episode of Castle?You're going to see some funky hair, some funky pants, funky colors. Back to the '80s. You're going to see a lot of that. It's scary but it's fun, man. It was like, when we put those costumes on it was like, we used to wear this stuff? Was that real? It did happen and we'll see it in the show. You'll be very entertained by what's going to be happening.